Monthly Archives: June 2013

Last week Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced “Aaron’s Law,” legislation that would significantly amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The proposed bill, drafted by Rep. Lofgren and Sen. Ron Wyden, is named in honor of the late Aaron Swartz, who took his own life earlier this year while under indictment for CFAA charges. The… Continue Reading

Foreign Policy has published my article on how attribution can be used to deter foreign governments’cyberespionage. Excerpts below: The Obama-Xi summit in Sunnylands ended without any Chinese concessions on cyber-espionage. This came as no surprise; cyber spying has been an indispensable accelerant for China’s military and economic rise. And though Beijing may someday agree that… Continue Reading

With all the controversy surrounding the leaks regarding the PRISM program, there is at least one constituency that is likely rejoicing — Europe-based cloud computing companies. For the past few years, cloud providers in Europe have tried to gain a competitive advantage over US-based providers in the European market by arguing that the Patriot Act… Continue Reading

It seems we can’t go a day without another bombshell in what we can now call the “Snowden Affair.” Many people are calling Edward Snowden a “whistleblower” for leaking two classified intelligence programs. But that term is usually reserved for someone who reveals government lies, law-breaking, or malfeasance. What Snowden revealed, though, are government activities… Continue Reading

There may be a lot less to the NSA “scandal” than meets the eye. In an article for Foreign Policy, I explain why I am quite confident that the program underlying the FISA court order is lawful: [T]his is not some warrantless or extra-statutory surveillance program. The government had to persuade up to a dozen… Continue Reading

There have been many critics of the Obama Administration’s aggressive pursuit of leakers. But today’s news offers a new line of attack on the Administration’s tactics: they’re apparently not working. The UK paper The Guardian was the beneficiary of a huge new leak, this one about a secret court order to a Verizon subsidiary ordering… Continue Reading

Stewart Baker

Stewart served as the first Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security where he set cybersecurity policy, including inward investment reviews focused on network security. More

About This Blog

Steptoe Cyberblog, with its sometimes contrasting insights, serves up opinionated and provocative thoughts on the issues — especially cybersecurity and privacy — that arise at the intersection of law, information technology, and security.

Stay Connected To Steptoe

About Steptoe

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington. For more information, visit the Steptoe website www.steptoe.com or contact us directly by visiting our Contact Page.